kung pao chicken

I’m really not sure how authentic this recipe is but I’m calling it kung pao chicken because it’s spicy and it has peanuts. That’s good enough for me. Ha!

Okay, aside from that, it’s really super delicious… and easy. Well, easy if you’re not trying to figure out how to use your new mandoline like I was. I spent a good half hour just trying to assemble the correct blades, another 15 minutes or so trying to use it and then another 30 minutes trying to disassemble, clean, and then fold up the mandoline for storage. I got some beautifully thin carrot strips but it wasn’t worth an hour of my day and almost slicing my thumb wide open. Nope. Next time I’m just going to stick to a knife. *sigh* Lesson learned.

Because I get this question every time: Buy your chicken in large family sized packs to get a super low price. When you get it home, divide it up into 1-2 lb. portions and freeze for later use. I just pop two breasts into quart size ziplock bags, label them, and toss them in the freezer. It’s really nice to have the meat on hand the next time you’re ready to cook and it’s at least a dollar less per pound when purchased in bulk (usually a 5 lb. package). Sometimes, when they are approaching their “sell by” date, they’ll be even more deeply discounted and as long as you freeze them that day, they’re completely safe. Even Whole Foods sells “Family Packs” of chicken for a lower price per pound.

Instructions

Prepare the marinade for the chicken. Dissolve 1 Tbsp of corn starch in 1 Tbsp of water and then add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, 1 Tbsp of rice wine, and 2 tsp of minced garlic. Stir to combine.

Cut the chicken into small chunks and place it in a bowl or small container. Pour the marinade over top, stir to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce. The sauce is very similar to the marinade but with a couple more ingredients to amp up the flavor. So, again, start by dissolving 1 Tbsp of corn starch in 1 Tbsp of water. Then add 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp rice wine, 2 Tbsp sambal, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp sesame oil. Stir to combine and dissolve the brown sugar. Set the sauce aside until you’re ready to use it.

Prepare the vegetables. Dice the bell pepper and slice the carrots into strips as thin as possible. Slice the green onions, both the white and green will be used. Measure out 1/2 cup of peanuts.

Begin to cook the rice. Add 1.5 cups of dry jasmine rice to a medium pot with 2.5 cups of water. Place a lid on top and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let the rice sit undisturbed until it is ready to use. Fluff with a fork just prior to serving.

Heat 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (it will look wavy on the surface), add the white half of the sliced green onions. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the marinated chicken. Cook and stir until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. It will feel firm when it is cooked through.

Add the vegetables and peanuts and stir to combine with the chicken. Immediately add the sauce and cook until the sauce has thickened (2-3 minutes). I prefer the vegetables still crunchy so I didn’t really let them cook before adding the sauce.

Notes

Serve the chicken and vegetable mixture over the cooked rice. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Combine the chicken and marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, make the sauce. It is very similar to the marinade, just combine the ingredients in a bowl: 1 Tbsp corn starch + 1 Tbsp water, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp rice wine, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp sambal, and 1 tsp sesame oil.

This is the sambal that I used in the sauce. You can find it in the Asian section of most major grocery stores. It is basically a paste/sauce/relish made of red chili peppers. You can also use a chili garlic sauce like the one I used for these chili garlic breakfast quesadillas.

Prepare the vegetables. I just diced up the bell pepper, sliced up all of the green onions and then… struggled for an hour with my new mandoline to achieve those beautifully julienned carrots. Cut the carrots any way you can. Forget julienning. Just get it right out of your head. It’s not worth it.

Anyway… Heat up 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a large skillet until it’s very hot (it should look wavy on the surface). Add the bottom half of the green onions (the white half) and stir fry for about a minute.

Add the marinated chicken…

Stir and cook the chicken until it is cooked through. It will feel firm when the insides of the chunks have completely cooked.

Add the vegetables and the peanuts. Stir to combine. I wanted my veggies crisp so I didn’t really let them “cook,” I just stirred them in.

Just after adding the vegetables, I added the sauce. Stir and cook until the sauce is thickened. This should only take a few minutes. The veggies will cook a little during those few minutes but they should stay relatively crisp.

Serve over cooked jasmine rice.

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39 comments on “kung pao chicken”

I made this to pack for lunches this week because my husband was complaining there are no good Chinese lunch spots near his new office. Spice and delicious! Love love. Thank you for yet another awesome recipe!

Very very very yummy! This was a total hit! Will be going into the regular rotation. I’m looking forward to eating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! First time using sambal too. We love it! Thanks for introducing this to us.

Hi Beth, I am so so loving your site and all the easy to recreate recipes. I like the fact that i can try making different foods now. Since i get too lazy and cook the same food over and over again, i would be able to make more variety now. I will be sharing this site with friends. Thanks

Sharon – I got that used when a restaurant was selling their old stuff… It is by *far* the best piece of cookware that I own. It says “Dura-ware” on the bottom, although I don’t know where to get it. I would either try a restaurant supply store or the internet.

Hi! I’m Beth

As a food lover and a number cruncher I've decided that cooking on a budget shouldn't mean canned beans and ramen noodles night after night. Join me for delicious recipes designed for small budgets. More »